Hello all Storm here with a new story! Actually this is a reboot story…of "From Self-Exiled Shinobi To Pokémon Legend", and I'd like to apologize for the suddenness of it, I'll explain why the story is being rebooted in the A.N. at the bottom, and I hope everyone will still enjoy the reboot as much as the original. So, without further ado.
I own nothing
'This is Littleroot Town? It looks bigger than I expected.' Thought a thirteen-year-old boy as he stepped off the ship, looking around and seeing Littleroot was a bigger town than he originally believed.
The boy had fair skin, bright spiky blonde hair, ocean blue eyes, and three unique whisker-like marks on his cheeks. With his attire consisting of black and blue sneakers with red soles, black pants, a dark orange shirt, and a black, hooded jacket that he keeps unzipped with short sleeves, gold buttons and a checkered pattern at the hem, along with having a blue backpack on his back.
This is Naruto Uzumaki, who had travelled all the way to Littleroot Town in order to meet Professor Birch, the resident Pokémon Professor of the Hoenn Region. In order to get his first Pokémon and begin his own Pokémon Journey.
'I better get moving, from what I've heard, Professor Birch's Lab is on the outskirts of town and he usually leaves to study wild Pokémon.' Naruto thought before he took off running, not wanting to waste any time and end up missing Professor Birch at his lab.
Running through the streets, Naruto weaved through the people walking around, while running into a few that were coming out of buildings or around corners, but managed to avoid them at the last second. Making the whiskered blonde mentally groan from how crowded Littleroot town was, along with how he couldn't even really see much of anything.
'I need a higher spot, and a less crowded one at that.' Thought Naruto, looking around, before spotting an alleyway where he saw a garbage can and some crates stacked up, making him grin before turning down the alley.
Not hesitating or stopping, Naruto jumped on top of the trash can, before jumping on top of the crates and instantly kicking off the wall they were pushed against. Managing to jump high enough to grab hold of the ledge of the opposite building, the Uzumaki pulled himself up and kept running. With him now having more room to move and looked around, Naruto spotted Professor Birch's Lab outside of town.
Grinning at now seeing exactly where the lab was and having a clear path towards it, Naruto began racing and jumping across the rooftops. Though it wasn't long before he saw that he was starting to run out of buildings to jump across, with more trees being around the closer he got to the lab. Not stopping in his pace, Naruto jumped off the last building towards a tree, grabbing hold of a branch as he did so.
Keeping his momentum, Naruto spun around the branch towards another tree, landing on top of a branch this time as he began jumping through the trees.
'I should be close enough to reach the lab on foot.' Naruto thought as he grabbed hold of another branch before letting go and returning to the ground, pleased at how quickly he's made it.
"Z-Zor…"
"What's that…" Naruto muttered as he stopped and looked around, thinking he just heard something.
"Zor…ua…"
"Is that a Pokemon?" Naruto wondered aloud as he looked around for the source of the cry.
"Zorua…"
Now hearing where the cry was coming from and knowing that whatever Pokémon it was, was most likely hurt, Naruto quickly ran to where the cry was coming from. Not needing to go far before he found a Pokémon curled up in the bushes behind a tree.
It was a foxlike Pokémon, its fur is mainly light gray with red and white accents. Its ears are primarily gray with split cuts and a slight red tint at the tips. Its eyes have golden yellow irises and pink eyelids, and its limbs are tipped in black. The tuft of fur on its head, the ruff around its neck, and its tail are all white at their bases, with long wisps of fur that fade to red at the tips, and they are all smooth in appearance.
'Woah, what kind of Pokémon is that?' Naruto thought, having never seen a Pokémon like this one, before quickly shaking his head as he saw the Pokémon was currently curled up into a ball and looked to be in pain.
"Hey, little guy. Do you need some help?" Naruto asked gently, not wanting to startle the Pokémon, only for its head to snap towards him with an uneasy expression before baring its teeth while its eyes glowed.
"Zor…" The Pokémon growled warningly at the whiskered blonde, making Naruto hold his hands up to show he wasn't a threat or was going to hurt it.
"Easy, I'm not going to hurt you or anything. I just want to help, will you-" Naruto said as he slowly reached out towards the Pokémon, only to quickly pull his hand back when it tried biting him.
Seeing that the Pokémon wasn't going to let him pick it up to get help, Naruto took off his backpack and pulled out a container of Pokémon food.
"Alright, I won't try touching you. But I'm sure you must be hungry, here you go." Said Naruto, opening up the container and pouring some Pokémon food in front of the Pokémon, who looked at it warily.
"It's okay, I just wanna help." Naruto said, smiling reassuringly at the Pokémon.
Looking between the Uzumaki and the food warily and suspiciously, the Pokémon slowly moved closer, sniffed it to see if there's anything wrong with it. Before it hesitantly ate a piece, finding that it hadn't been tampered with and immediately began devouring the rest of the food.
Smiling at seeing the Pokémon eating, Naruto slowly reached out towards it again, happy when it didn't growl or try biting him. Only to immediately move back in shock when the wisp of fur on the Pokémon's head suddenly tried wrapping around his wrist. The Uzumaki just barely able to avoid getting grabbed, but shivered when the fur brushed against him and he felt…Naruto wasn't sure, but it left a cold and uneasy feeling in him.
"Zor…" The Pokémon looked back up at Naruto with glowing eyes, as if warning him not to try that again, with Naruto raising his hands as he backed away.
"Okay, I won't try touching you again. But you do need help, that's all I want to do, alright." Naruto assured, seeing that the Pokémon wasn't going to trust him easily and he doubted it'd be a good idea to try touching it.
Trying to think of how he was supposed to help the Pokémon when it clearly wasn't going to let him try picking it up. Naruto quickly moved back to where he could see Professor Birch's Lab again, seeing that it wasn't that far away before going back to the Pokémon.
"Alright, there's someone close by that should be able to help you. I won't be gone very long, so…would you at least be able to just stay here until I get back? I promise that I'll be quick." Said Naruto, looking at the Pokémon, who still looked at him with an uneasy expression.
Slowly taking out the container of Pokémon food again, Naruto poured some more out in front of the Pokémon, who looked at it for a moment before it began eating again. Though the whiskered blonde was a little creeped out by how it didn't once stop looking at him the entire time.
"Will you be fine being alone for a few moments?" Naruto asked, only for the Pokémon to continue staring at him as it ate, making him sigh before nodding.
"I'll just take that as a yes and be back as soon as I can." Naruto stated, before he began making his way towards Professor Birch's Lab.
Continuing on to the lab, the whiskered blonde was relieved it didn't take long for him to arrive at the lab and knocked on the door repeatedly until it was finally opened, showing an adult man.
He was a tall, large man with fair skin, dark eyes, short and slightly wavy brown hair, and a squarish face with a beard. He wears a navy blue T-shirt under a white lab coat, khaki shorts with a black belt, and tan sandals on his feet.
"Yes, can I help you, young man? Is something wrong?" The man asked, looking at Naruto, only to see the worried look on his face.
"Yeah, I really need help. Are you Professor Birch? Because I found a Pokémon in the forest on my way here and it looked like it needed help, but when I tried picking it up it tried doing…something, I'm not sure what. So I came here as fast as I could to get help for it, since it wouldn't let me pick it up and I didn't want to just leave it alone." Said Naruto, with Birch nodding in response.
"Yes I'm Professor Birch. And hang on, just let me grab my bag and some supplies, then show me where this Pokémon is." Replied Birch, rushing back into his lab to grab his brown bag, filling it with supplies to examine the Pokémon and help it with any injuries it has.
Once he had everything he needed, Birch exited the lab and began following Naruto to where the Pokémon was.
"Now then, who are you exactly? And what can you tell me about the Pokémon?" Birch asked, wanting to know who he is and where he found the Pokémon.
"My name's Naruto Uzumaki from Fortree City; I actually just arrived here on a boat from Lilycove City to get my Starter Pokémon and a Pokédex. But on my way here, I heard what sounded like a Pokémon crying in pain and I found it hiding nearby. And like I said, when I tried picking it up after giving it some Pokémon food, it tried grabbing me with a long tuff of fur on its head. I didn't know what it tried doing, but it made me feel uneasy." Explained Naruto, with the Pokémon Professor frowning at hearing this, thinking of all the Pokémon he knew of that exhibited such behavior.
"What did it look like?" Birch asked.
"Uh, it was really small, having a foxlike appearance, with it mostly having gray and white fur, black feet, long wisps of fur on its head, neck, and tail, all of them fading into red at the tips, as well as yellow eyes." Naruto said, making Birch gain a confused look, since he didn't recognize the description of what Pokémon it could be, wondering if it could be one from another far off region.
It wasn't long before they arrived at the spot where the Pokémon was, with Naruto being relieved to see it was still there. Though when its head snapped towards Naruto and Birch, its eyes glowing again, with the two immediately stopping and kept their distance.
"Zor…" The Pokémon's eyes glowed as it observed Naruto and Birch, the latter taking in the sight of the strange Pokémon.
"This is…certainly strange. I've definitely never seen a Pokémon that looked like this, before. But its appearance does seem rather…familiar, but not quite the same as the Pokémon I'm thinking of." Said Birch, rubbing his chin in thought.
"What Pokémon does it look like?" Naruto asked, wondering what Pokémon it was.
"It bears a resemblance to the Pokémon, Zorua. A rare Pokémon that's found in the Unova Region, though I've heard a few have been sighted in the Sinnoh Region as well. But Zorua are known to have primarily slate gray fur, with black and red accents, along with greenish-blue eyes. While this Pokémon certainly resembles a Zorua, there are several differences that would make one think it's a different species, altogether. Though perhaps it's a new Regional Form." Birch said as he began muttering to himself, making Naruto look at him curiously.
"Regional Form?" Asked Naruto, having never heard that term before, while pulling Birch from his thoughts.
"Oh sorry, I got lost in thought there for a moment, there. A Regional Form is a completely new form a Pokémon takes in regions they aren't native to, taking on entirely new appearances and types. A prime example of this are the Vulpix of the Alola Region, where they've adapted to the colder climates of Mount Lanakila and became Ice-type Pokémon as a result." Explained Birch, much to Naruto's amazement and intrigue that there are Pokémon that can have entirely different appearances and types.
"Wow, that sounds awesome. And is that what happened to this Zorua?" Naruto said while looking at Zorua, with Birch frowning thoughtfully.
"I'm not entirely sure. Regional Forms are still a relatively new discover, with them so far being exclusive to the Alola Region and Galar Region, so there's most likely plenty of Regional Form Pokémon that have never been seen or heard of, before. Especially since I've heard nothing about Zorua having Regional Forms nor any rumors about them popping up. I may need to go over all my research notes, cross reference everything I have on Zorua, and maybe get in touch with some of my colleagues." Birch said, needing to gather more information before he can do something.
"What should we do about Zorua?" Naruto asked, with the Pokémon Professor sighing and shaking his head.
"If it won't let us get close to look it over, I'm afraid there isn't much we can do at the moment. We'll need more information and work on earning its trust first, before we can do anything." Birch replied, with the Uzumaki frowning at this, not liking the idea of doing nothing, but also knew the Professor was right.
"Alright. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know." Said Naruto, wanting to do something to help Zorua as well, making Birch smile at his concern for the Pokémon.
"I'm glad to hear that Naruto. Let's get back to the lab and see what we can find." Birch said before the two began making their way back to his lab, with Naruto giving Zorua one last look and nodded at it, before following the Professor.
With Zorua watching the two leave, lowering its head once they were completely out of sight.
"Zorua…"
*Later*
After returning to Professor Birch's Lab, Naruto had started helping Birch find everything he had on Zorua, with some help from his assistant Joshua as well. While the Pokémon Professor had also contacted his colleagues, Professor Rowan and Professor Juniper in the Sinnoh and Unova. Wanting to see if they knew anything about Zorua having a Regional Form, while giving them a description of the one in the forest.
Which also lead to Birch needing to cross-reference previously documented sightings of Zorua's, needing to go far back to some older documents on the Pokémon before he finally found something.
"Did you find anything, Professor?" Naruto asked when he saw Birch's downcast expression.
"Yeah, I was able to get some help from Professor Rowan in the Sinnoh Region about this Zorua's appearance. I was also able to get into contact with Professor Oak in the Kanto Region, he was able to send me an old video of a Zorua. The same kind as the one you found. It's a pretty old one, but he was able to eventually restore it." Said Birch, making Naruto curious as the Pokémon Professor brought up the video on one of computers.
The video showed someone standing in a snowy tundra to observe and study Pokémon, with Naruto being amazed at the landscape and how…untouched it seemed. Not seeing any hint of civilization anywhere, or anything to show that it had been visited by anyone. Naruto and Birch watched as the person came across several Snorunt, intriguing Naruto to learn they survive by eating snow and ice.
The person then headed up into a forest, with the large trees reminding the Uzumaki of the ones in Fortree City. Though he couldn't help but agree with the person, that they seemed to have a mysterious air about them, as if you just knew you were being watched. Before he was surprised to see another Zorua appear, seeing it was identical to the one he found.
'It really is adorable.' Naruto thought, smiling at seeing Zorua's behavior, only to tense when he saw something moving in the background of the video.
"What's-" Said Naruto, only for Birch to hold up a hand and just motioned him to keep watching.
The whiskered blonde gulped as he watched the video, seeing the thing in background growing larger, with it looking like moving black smoke as if it was sentient. Before Naruto stumbled back when the smoke suddenly leapt at the person, showing it really was alive.
"Wh-what…what was that?!" Naruto said, having never seen a Pokémon like that before, if it even was a Pokémon.
"This is one of the very few, if not the only, recorded footages of that kind of Zorua. As for what that was…" Birch said, resuming the video before pausing it as the Zorua came close to the fallen camera with another, bigger, Pokémon appearing as well.
"…That is Zorua's evolved form, Zoroark, both of them have the unique ability to cast illusions on people. But these particular kind of Zorua's and Zoroark's illusions are far more dangerous, which is due to their appearances. And how they came to look like that…it isn't a good thing." Birch said sadly, making Naruto look at him in confusion and worry.
"Why isn't that good? If we know the reason for Zorua's appearance, wouldn't we be able to help it." Said Naruto, with Birch nodding in response.
"Normally yes, but this particular species of Zorua is one that hasn't been seen in a very long time, centuries in fact. The last time it was ever seen was in the Hisui Region. That's actually where this video came from." Birch replied, confusing Naruto further at the Regions name.
"Hisui? Is that some far off Region?" Questioned Naruto, since that's one he's definitely never heard of before.
"No, it's not. Hisui is actually the name of the Sinnoh Region, centuries ago. Back when people from other Regions just started arriving, settling down alongside the native Diamond and Pearl Clans. It's not exactly common knowledge anymore, given how much time has passed. So only those that'd research history and Pokémon Professors, like me, would know about it during our studies of ancient Pokémon." Explained Birch, much to Naruto's amazement to learn that the Sinnoh Region used to have a different name.
"Wow, that's pretty cool. But I still don't see what's so bad about Zorua being from the Hisui Region." Naruto stated, making Birch sigh as he leaned back in his seat.
"That's due to how Hisuian Zorua came to exist. One thing you should know is that in the Hisui Region, Pokémon were much more violent and territorial. It was a dangerous and harsh Region for both people and Pokémon, if a person ever wandered out into the wilderness, they were lucky if they survived a single day, alone. Pokémon were also viewed more often as monsters rather than friends, companions and partners, given how little knowledge there was on them at the time. People were terrified of them, with only a few being brave enough to live alongside them. Pokéballs were also a relatively new invention around this time, being made using Apricorns and fitted with a special device used to catch Pokémon. But only a few really new how to use them, with even fewer being brave enough to go into the wild to try and catch Pokémon." Birch said, with the whiskered blonde paling at hearing this.
While Naruto knew that there some pretty dangerous Pokémon in the world. It seemed like in Hisui, if you so much as saw a Pokémon, then you'd be lucky to escape with your life. It relieved Naruto that Pokémon were much more docile nowadays, only really attacking if you intruded on their territory or were mean to them.
"A-and, what about Zorua?" Naruto asked, with Birch looking down sadly.
"Like I said, the Hisui Region was dangerous for people and Pokémon, if you weren't strong enough to handle the environment or encountered a powerful Pokémon, then you wouldn't survive long. That's how Hisuian Zorua's came to exist, they're the result of regular Zorua who were unable to survive the harsh environment and conflict with other Pokémon…and their spirits lingering in their new forms." Said Birch, much to Naruto's shock and horror as he realized what that meant for the Zorua he found.
"S-s-so-so-so…Z-Zo-Zo-Zorua…d-d-di-di-died? Th-th-th-that-that's…th-th-that's why it…it lo-lo-lo-l-looks li-li-li-like th-th-that?" Naruto stuttered in sadness and horror that Zorua actually died, with Birch nodding sadly.
"Yes. But that's not the worst part, Hisuian Zorua are only reborn due to their malice towards humans and Pokémon alike. As when they were alive, they were exiled by humans due to the illusions they could cast and were hunted to extinction by the Pokémon native to the Hisui Region. So…I'm afraid that whatever happened to Zorua when it was alive…it wasn't a natural death." Birch revealed, being able to guess how Zorua died.
Either from being owned by a cruel Trainer that pushed it too hard, or worse abandoned it to die for not being strong enough. Or it had been hunted by a Pokémon Poacher, given how rare a Zorua would be to find in Hoenn, it'd get a lot of attention, most of which would unfortunately not be good.
With Naruto being further horrified and saddened at what happened to Zorua, also guessing how it was killed. Hating the idea that a Pokémon being abused or hunted down as some kind of prize.
"Is there anything we can do to help it?" Naruto asked, wanting to do something to help Zorua, only for Birch to shake his head.
"There isn't anything we can do, really. Hisuian Zorua were notoriously distrustful of every living being, whether they were humans or Pokémon. Their illusions are also more powerful than when they were alive, as they're powered by the malice they feel and grow stronger from the terror they inflict on their victims. Something we're lucky didn't happen, as the more strength they have the stronger their illusions will be, to the point they can inflict physical damage. Not only that, but they're extremely difficult to gain the trust of, due to their resentment of everything. While I don't like it, we can only leave Zorua alone until it decides to leave." Replied Birch, not wanting to just leave Zorua, especially if it starts drawing attention by those that'd want to catch such a rare Pokémon, but it was also incredibly dangerous thanks to its illusions.
They were even lucky it was only a Hisuian Zorua, as from what he knew, it'd be far more dangerous if it was a Hisuian Zoroark. A Pokémon that was referred to as a literal embodiment of death and could drive people insane with its illusions.
The Uzumaki frowned at this, since he didn't like the idea of just leaving Zorua alone like that, especially if it was owned by an abusive Trainer or hunted by a Pokémon Poacher. Given how they didn't know how long it's been since Zorua…died, whether it was days, weeks, months, or even years. They didn't know and the chances are that whoever caused its death may not know it died and still try finding it.
"If you want Naruto, we can get you your Starter and Pokédex, and I'll see about making some calls to anyone who'd be able to help Zorua or at least take it somewhere it won't have to worry about being hunted." Birch said, only for Naruto to shake his head in response.
"If it's alright, Professor Birch, I'd like to stay a little longer. I found Zorua and after learning about what happened to it, I at least want to make sure it's safe before I get my Starter Pokémon. I can even help out around the lab, if that's okay with you. Along with checking on Zorua, as well to make sure it's alright, since even if it's…not technically alive, it's still a Pokémon and should be looked after until it can be taken somewhere safe." Said Naruto, not wanting to just leave after finding Zorua and now learning what happened to it, he wanted to make sure it was safe and didn't have to be afraid of being attacked or captured.
With Birch being surprised at his words, before smiling at seeing the determination in Naruto's eyes, seeing he really did want to make sure Zorua was safe before he got his own Pokémon.
"I think that would be fine Naruto. It may even be for the best, since you were the first one to find Zorua, so while it may not trust you, you're at least someone it's familiar with. Which would be better than only seeing new strangers showing up." Said Birch, making Naruto smile that he'd get to stay longer and look after Zorua, determined to make sure it would be safe.
*Timeskip-Five Days*
Five days have passed since Naruto arrived in Littleroot Town and found Zorua, before learning it was a Hisuian Zorua after unfortunately dying and staying around as a reborn Pokémon. With him having been allowed to stay at Professor Birch's Lab, helping around like he said he would, which also helped him learn more about different Pokémon as well. Including more about Zorua, so that he could better look after it until it could be taken somewhere safe.
With Naruto having made sure to always visit Zorua every day, while bringing it different Pokémon food he's made with different ingredients and berries to see which one it liked best. Along with visiting to just talk to Zorua and try to earn its trust, wanting to show he wasn't going to do anything to hurt it. Though so far, Zorua still hasn't let Naruto try touching it, but it also hasn't tried casting any illusions on him. So the whiskered blonde guessed that was good if it hadn't tried attacking him.
At the moment, Naruto was sitting against a tree while Zorua was eating the newest batch of Pokémon food he's brought it. The Uzumaki was glad that he seems to have gotten better at making it, if Zorua is eating it all without hesitation was anything to go by.
"At least I know any Pokémon I catch will like the food I make them, especially with all the different kinds I've tried out already." Naruto stated, making Zorua stop and look at him.
"Zor…" Zorua looked at Naruto warily at mentioning he's going to catch Pokémon, wondering if this was a trick to make it lower its guard, only for Naruto to shake his head quickly
"No, no, no, no! I didn't mean catching you, I just want to help! I meant other Pokémon I'd meet once I get my Starter, since I do want to become a Pokémon Trainer. Though…I guess I don't really know what I want to do afterwards, I know that I'm going to take on the Pokémon League and battle the Gym Leaders. But other than that, I'll probably just travel to see new places and different Regions, along with seeing new Pokémon. Since it all sounds really great and amazing to go out and explore, especially from the Trainers that pass through Fortree City to challenge Winona." Said Naruto, with Zorua tilting its head curiously.
"Zorua?" Zorua was confused at everything Naruto was saying, but was able to understand the basics of what he meant.
"Winona's the Gym Leader of Fortree City, she specializes in Flying-type Pokémon and is a master at them. Training her Pokémon to fly in any weather conditions, as well as command their flight paths and even the degree angle of their attacks. Her Pokémon are also really strong, one of her strongest is a Shiny Swellow, which means that it has a different color than any other Swellow. With Shiny Pokémon being more rare and powerful than normally colored Pokémon. She also has a giant Skarmory, with it being much bigger than other members of its species, which I guess that means that it's probably an Alpha Skarmory as well." Naruto explained, having learned more about the Hisui Region, which included how giant Pokémon were known as Alpha's back then and were far stronger than their normal sized counterparts, as well.
"Though she usually only uses it during the Feather Carnival that celebrates Flying-type Pokémon, with Winona giving rides on her Skarmory. There are also other rides to go on, food, and games. Along with a Night Flight attraction, where several Golbat carry baskets through a course of Ghost-type Pokémon. It's all really fun." Said Naruto, smiling at the times he attended the Feather Carnival, even being able to ride on Winona's Skarmory a couple of times.
"Maybe you'll be taken somewhere close to Fortree City and you'll be able to see the carnival yourself, since all Pokémon are welcomed to come and go whenever they want in Fortree, so you wouldn't have to worry about anyone trying to hurt you or do anything bad." Naruto added while looking at Zorua, who looked at him in confusion.
"Rua…" Zorua turned back to its food and continued eating, still confused at why the human was being nice to it or telling it any of these things.
Though it…oddly felt…nice for someone to talk to it, even if it did try trapping him in horrible and terrifying illusions when the human tried touching it. Zorua supposed this human was at least good for bringing it food and not trying to capture it.
*Timeskip-One Week*
'I hope Zorua likes these Pokéblocks.' Naruto thought as he made his way to where Zorua was, bringing it more food along with something new called Pokéblocks.
Having heard about them while passing through Lilycove City to take a boat to Littleroot Town, along with the times that Pokémon Coordinators would pass through Fortree City. Learning that Pokéblocks were used by Coordinators to feed their Pokémon and help improve their appearances for Pokémon Contests. They were also very nutritious for Pokémon since they're made from different kinds of berries. With Naruto deciding to try and make some for Zorua to see what it thought of them.
Though Naruto was pulled from his thoughts when the ground suddenly started shaking, before his eyes widened when several rock pillars came flying out of the forest. Some of them crashing into trees and sending them falling down, with Naruto jumping out of the way to avoid being hit or crushed.
"Zor! Zorua!" Zorua then jumped out from the trees, looking scared, shocking Naruto once again at seeing Zorua running from something.
"Zorua?! Are you alright?! Did something happen?!" Naruto asked, with Zorua running over to him, relieved to at least see someone familiar and nice.
"Use Sandstorm, now!" Someone shouted, before a powerful sandstorm was formed and started heading towards Naruto and Zorua.
Not expecting the sudden sandstorm, along with now seeing whatever scared Zorua was a Trainer, Naruto didn't hesitate to pick up Zorua and ran away. Not caring about Zorua's distrust or ability to cast illusions on him, the Uzumaki only caring about making sure it was safe.
"Hyper Beam!"
Unfortunately, before they could get far, Naruto was forced to stop when a beam of orange energy impacted the ground right in front of him. The whiskered blonde quickly moved out of the way and shielded Zorua from the blast.
"Hand over the Pokémon now, runt, or the next attack won't miss." Demanded someone, making Naruto turn to see who was attacking them.
Seeing a man with lightly tanned skin, dark green hair, and dark black eyes. With him wearing maroon overalls with orange edging on the bottom of the short sleeves, a dark tanned long-sleeved shirt underneath, black gloves, and black boots.
And with him was a Pokémon that made Naruto gulp and pale slightly, recognizing it as the pseudo-Legendary Pokémon, Tyranitar.
Tyranitar is a large, bipedal, dinosaurian Pokémon with a green, armor-like hide covering its body. It has two pairs of pointed teeth: one in the upper jaw and one in the lower. Several spikes of varying sizes protrude from the back of its head, neck, and shoulders. Both sides of its chest, the center of its back, and its knees have two triangular holes. There is a gray, diamond-shaped patch of scales covering its belly, and a smaller one on its back. It has three claws on its feet and hands. A ring of spikes surrounds the tip of its tail.
Though while Naruto was fearful at facing such a powerful Pokémon, just from looking at this guy, he knew he was a Pokémon Poacher. One that was targeting Zorua.
"And who the hell are you supposed to be to try and take Zorua?!" Naruto retorted, glaring at the poacher, who scoffed and glared at him.
"The name's Rico, you brat, and that thing belongs to me anyway! Now hand it over or else!" Said Rico, with Tyranitar growling and stepping forward, only for Naruto to not back down.
"Zorua doesn't belong to anyone! It's already been through enough and doesn't need some bastard, like you, trying to capture it like some trophy!" Shouted Naruto, with Zorua looking at him in surprise at how he's defending it.
"That thing already belonged to me the moment I saw it! I don't know how it survived or changed its appearance, but as far as I'm concerned, that just means it'll be worth more! Now hand it over!" Rico demanded, with Naruto's eyes widening at what he just said.
"How it…survived? Then you're…" Naruto muttered before looking at Zorua, seeing it looked at Rico and Tyranitar in fear, along with how it ran away from them rather than simply cast illusions on them.
"You're…you're the one who killed Zorua?!" Naruto shouted, glaring at Rico in pure hatred, that he's the reason Zorua died.
His anger only growing when Rico didn't show any hint of remorse or regret, with the poacher even smirking.
"So the thing did die, yet it's still around. Then that just means I'll be getting a much larger prize once I have it. I'm sure there are plenty of people who'd pay top dollar to have an actual ghost Pokémon." Stated Rico, thinking of all the money he'll get after selling Zorua, which only angered Naruto further.
"I'm not letting hurt Zorua anymore, bastard!" Retorted Naruto before he took off running into the forest, since he didn't have any Pokémon himself, let alone any strong enough to fight a Tyranitar.
"Annoying little shit! Fine, it'll be your funeral! Tyranitar, use Earthquake!" Rico ordered, with Tyranitar roaring before stomping its foot down on the ground, causing the ground to begin shaking and splitting open.
With Naruto being thrown off balance by the sudden earthquake, but still kept running while not losing his grip on Zorua.
"Don't worry Zorua, I'm not going to let him hurt you, anymore." Naruto said, smiling reassuringly at Zorua, who looked at him in surprise.
"Zor…" Zorua wasn't sure what to think of the human actually trying to save and protect it from the one that got it killed, having thought he was just being nice to get it to lower its guard.
But now, Zorua thought that maybe the whiskered blonde actually wanted to help it just because, something it wasn't familiar with.
"Use Stomping Tantrum!" Rico shouted behind them, before the ground began shaking repeatedly again, only this time, Naruto had to jump out of the way as splinters of rocks were launched at them as well.
The Uzumaki gritted his teeth when one of the rock splinters hit his arm, cutting into it, before he jumped out of the way to avoid any more debris that was launched at them. Before he spotted a hollowed out tree trunk, along with a decent sized rock, making Naruto get an idea.
"Don't worry, you'll be safe here. Just stay there until I come back, alright." Naruto said going over and putting Zorua inside the tree trunk, before picking up the rock and took off running again.
"Zorua." Zorua peeked out of the trunk, watching Naruto run away, before quickly ducking back down as Rico and Tyranitar came running past it.
Peeking out again to look in the direction they ran with wide eyes, not believing that Naruto was now risking only himself to keep it safe. Luring away the poacher, which would give Zorua the chance to escape on its own, not needing to worry about being captured or hurt again. But that would also mean leaving the whiskered blonde alone, after everything he's done for it.
"Zor!" Zorua narrowed its eyes before floating out of the tree trunk, going in the direction Naruto went with Rico and Tyranitar chasing after him.
*With Naruto*
Meanwhile, Naruto had continued running, being able to hear Rico and Tyranitar right behind him, moving out of the way of any attacks that Tyranitar launched at him.
"Tyranitar, use Snarl now!" Rico ordered, getting more angry and annoyed at the continued chase.
"Tyrani-tar!" Tyranitar opened its mouth before firing multiple black and purple energy rings at Naruto, with the Uzumaki diving out of the way while the attack impacted a tree.
"No wonder Zorua's avoided you, you must be a shitty poacher if you can't even hit me!" Naruto said tauntingly, making Rico scowl.
"Say that again, when I have you locked in a cage with the rest of my prizes! Use Rock Tomb!" Said Rico, with Tyranitar roaring and stomping on the ground, causing several large rocks to rise up around Naruto, forcing the Uzumaki to stop.
Mentally cursing at the rocks surrounding him, Naruto quickly began climbing over them to get away, only for this to give Rico and Tyranitar enough time to get closer to him.
"Not so fast runt! Tyranitar, now use Thunder Wave on him!" Rico demanded.
"Taaaaaarrrrr!" Tyranitar was surrounded by yellow electricity before roaring as it launched a stream of electricity at Naruto.
The whiskered blonde crying out as he was electrocuted, along with feeling his body become paralyzed, falling to the ground while still managing to hold onto the rock. Before grunting when the electricity stopped and Rico came over, kicking him in the back, causing Naruto to roll across the ground.
"No more games, runt. Hand over the Pokémon now or the next attack will have you buried alive!" Said Rico, glaring at Naruto, who returned the glare.
"Fuck…you…asshole…" Naruto retorted as he fought against the paralysis, before grunting again when Rico kicked him in the side.
"I said give me that damn thing!" Rico shouted, reaching down to take Zorua himself, missing Naruto's smirk at how close he was.
"Well if you insist, take it!" Said Naruto before he immediately slammed the rock into Rico's face, the poacher crying out as he felt his nose shatter from the impact.
"AH! You worthless little fucker! I'm gonna feed what's left of you to my Fearow once I'm done with you!" Yelled Rico while holding his broken nose, only to gag in pain when Naruto took the chance to slam the rock right into his crotch as well, sending the poacher to his knees.
With Naruto also taking the chance to swiftly grab a Pokéball off of Rico's belt, hoping that it was Tyranitar's, for when he got a chance to return it.
"Don't be angry, you're the one who wanted me to give it you! I'm just doing what you asked!" Naruto said, throwing the rock at Tyranitar as well before he began running again, the Armor Pokémon grunting as the rock impacted its head before roaring in anger.
"U-u-u-us-use…I-I-Ice-Ice Be-Be-Beam…r-ri-right…f-fu-fucking…n-n-no-now…" Rico gasped in between the pain in his face and crotch.
"Tyranitar!" Tyranitar opened its mouth as a light blue ball formed in it, preparing to fire the attack at Naruto.
Only to suddenly be hit in the back by a wave of yellow stars, causing Tyranitar's Ice Beam to instead impact the ground in front of it and Rico, creating blocks of ice that threw them back.
"Wh-wh-wh-what?!" Said Rico as he finally managed to stand up, angered even more at who attacked his Pokémon, only to see Zorua floating in the air.
"Zor-ua!" Zorua fired several black and purple rings at right at Rico, with the poacher having no time to get out of the way as the attack impacted him, sending him crashing into a tree.
"Zorua?!" Naruto said, looking back, having heard the fighting, only to be surprised to see Zorua appear and attacked Rico and Tyranitar, before it flew towards him.
"Zor!" Zorua looked at Naruto and nodded, with the Uzumaki still being surprised at seeing that Zorua was actually flying.
'I…guess since Zorua's an actual ghost, it can float and fly around.' Naruto thought with a frown, seeing while it was cool Zorua could fly, he wished it was able to do so without having been killed.
"Thanks for the help, but you were safe back there." Naruto said, not wanting Zorua to risk itself for him like that, only for Zorua to shake its head.
"Zor-Zor-Zor-Zorua-Zor-ua." Zorua gave the whiskered blonde a look, as if saying it wanted to help as well, making Naruto smile slightly.
"Okay, let's take them down toge-" Naruto said, only to be cut off by a shout from Rico.
"Use Thunderbolt, now!" Rico yelled, with Tyranitar roaring before firing a powerful lightning bolt at Naruto and Zorua, the Uzumaki's eyes widening before he quickly jumped and grabbed Zorua.
Moving out of the way, just as the lightning bolt went past them, with the duo barely avoiding it as it crashed into a tree, bringing it down.
"Now use Earth Power and bring down all those trees!" Rico demanded eagerly, wanting to see both of these annoyances crushed and broken.
"Tar!" Tyranitar slammed its foot on the ground, causing glowing gold cracks to rush towards where Naruto and Zorua were, causing multiple trees to start crashing to the ground.
Knowing they needed to keep moving, Naruto began running again, with Zorua floating alongside him, the two ducking and dodging out of the way of several falling trees along the way.
"Now use Sandstorm!" Rico ordered, with Tyranitar roaring as it created a sandstorm around itself before directing it towards Naruto and Zorua.
With Naruto gritting his teeth and shielding his face from the sand around him, before looking at Zorua as he got another idea.
"Could…could you distract…them for a moment Zorua?" Naruto asked, gagging at sand getting in his mouth.
"Zor!" Zorua nodded in response before diving towards the ground, phasing into its own shadow as it did so, surprising Naruto before he nodded as he kept running.
"Hit the little bastard with Stone Edge!" Shouted Rico.
"Tyrani-tar!" Tyranitar slammed its hands onto the ground, causing several light blue rock pillars to appear out of the ground that rushed towards Naruto.
Seeing the pillars coming towards him, Naruto moved out of the way of them, only to gasp in pain when one of them slammed into his side, sending him crashing into the ground, groaning in pain. His pain only growing as Rico approached him and began repeatedly kicking him in the chest. Unable to help but cry out when Rico stomped on his face, breaking the Uzumaki's nose.
"You! Annoying! Little! Fucker! I've had to deal with stuck-up bastards like you before, always getting in my way! But you are the most annoying pain in my ass, that I have ever met!" Rico shouted as he kept hitting Naruto, before the Uzumaki managed to grab his leg and pull it out from under him.
"It's a gift, I enjoy pissing off assholes like you." Retorted Naruto with a smirk, only to gag when Rico got up before him and began choking him.
"Just shut up and die already!" Rico screamed madly, while slamming Naruto's head into the ground, wanting to personally kill the annoying kid for getting in his way and everything he's done.
With Naruto gagging as he tried speaking, before he was able to spot a shadow rising up behind Tyranitar, making him smirk at Rico.
"What the hell are you smirking at?!" Rico demanded, his anger only growing at seeing Naruto was actually smirking.
"Y-yo-yo-you…m-mi-mi-mi-mi-m-m-missed…on-on-on-one…" Naruto said, starting to feel faint from lack of air, while Rico's eyes widened at realizing he'd forgotten about Zorua.
"Zor!" Zorua's shadow rose up from the ground and struck Tyranitar in the back repeatedly, knocking the pseudo-Legendary off balance and tumbling towards the ground.
The sight getting Rico's attention, along with letting up some of the pressure on Naruto's throat, allowing the whiskered blonde to hastily take in some air. Before Naruto then grabbed a handful of sand from Tyranitar's Sandstorm, throwing it right into Rico's face.
"Fuck! You bastard, I'm going to mount both of your damn heads on the front of my car!" Shouted Rico as he rubbed at his eyes, trying to get the sand out of them, only to be tackled by Naruto who punched the poacher in the face.
"How's it feel getting your ass kicked by a kid, asshole?!" Naruto said mockingly, jumping off of Rico when he tried grabbing him,
"Tar!" Tyranitar began getting up from Zorua's attack to help its Trainer, only to see Zorua standing right in front of it, with its eyes glowing wickedly along with the red of its fur glowing as well.
"Zor…" Zorua's wisp of fur on its head suddenly lashed out and struck Tyranitar across the face, making the Armor Pokémon cry out as it stood up.
Only for Tyranitar to become terrified when it suddenly found itself surrounded by twisted, distorted, and horrifying copies of itself.
"Tar! Tyranitar! Tyran! Itar! Tar-Tyranitar!" Tyranitar tried running away from the copies only for more to appear around it, even worse when they began attacking Tyranitar, knocking the pseudo-Legendary around.
Before they all changed, with the copies now resembling terrifying versions of all the Pokémon its ever helped Rico hunt down and capture or kill. The sight terrifying Tyranitar before it began firing off several attacks at the illusions, dispelling them only for them to reform not a moment later.
"Tyrani-tar!" Tyranitar then opened its mouth and fired a Hyper Beam at the illusions, only for its eyes to widen when it heard Rico cry out in complete agony.
With the illusions suddenly vanishing, showing Tyranitar it had actually fired a Hyper Beam right at its Trainer, much to its horror as Rico's body was vaporized by the attack.
"Tar!" Tyranitar tried stopping the attack to save its Trainer, only to see it was too late, seeing nothing but ashes were left from Rico.
Then before Tyranitar could react, it was engulfed in a red light and sucked back into its Pokéball by Naruto, the Uzumaki falling to the ground panting as his energy left him.
"Good…job…Zorua…we…won…" Naruto said, smiling weakly Zorua, who nodded in agreement, pleased at dealing with the poacher and getting its revenge, even better at tricking Tyranitar into killing its own Trainer.
"Zor…Zorua!" Zorua's eyes widened when Naruto fell over unconscious, the adrenaline and energy leaving him, with his exhaustion and injuries finally catching up to him.
*Timeskip-Two Weeks*
'Ugh, did anyone get the number of the bus that hit me.' Naruto thought, groaning as he began waking up, his entire body feeling sore, before a weight on his chest finally registered for him.
Looking, Naruto's eyes widened in shock at seeing Zorua sleeping on top of him, even more so at seeing he was in his room inside Professor Birch's Lab. Not expecting to see Zorua like this, let alone willingly go inside of a building. Before Naruto then began remembering everything that happened, with Rico and his Tyranitar appearing to capture Zorua, leading them through the woods, then fighting them before Tyranitar vaporized Rico.
All while Naruto felt sick at having seen someone be killed, even more so at the hands of his own Pokémon, now that he had time to process what just happened. But he also couldn't feel any pity for Rico, either. Not after how he was responsible for Zorua's death and who knows what else, besides poaching Pokémon.
'At least Zorua is now safe.' Naruto thought, sitting up and looking at the sleeping Pokémon, before slowly reaching out and began petting it.
Taking the chance to actually feel what Zorua's fur felt like, not having had the chance before in the forest due to being more focused on escaping. But now Naruto felt it was really soft, though at the same time, it felt like he was moving his hand through really dense fog. While he could feel something, it wasn't really solid either.
Though he quickly pulled his hand away when Zorua began waking up, not wanting to risk upsetting the Pokémon, only to be surprised when Zorua looked at him.
"Zor!" Zorua's eyes lit up at seeing Naruto was awake, before moving closer and began nuzzling against him happily, surprising the whiskered blonde again before he smiled.
"If this is thanks for helping you, then it's no problem. I'm just glad that asshole isn't around to try hurting you, anymore." Said Naruto, before looking at the door when it opened showing Professor Birch and Joshua, who looked surprised at seeing him awake.
"Naruto?! Thank goodness you're alright, we were really worried when we found you." Birch said, relieved to see he was awake.
"Hey Professor, Joshua. Glad to see you guys again and sorry of I scared you, but a poacher showed up, hunting Zorua and I wasn't going to let it be captured or hurt." Naruto replied, with the two nodding in response.
"We know. Not long after you left to go see Zorua, Officer Jenny had shown up informing us about a Pokémon Poacher named Rico being seen in the area. She wanted to make sure we were informed, in case he was bold enough to try attacking the lab. Though that's when he heard the fighting in the forest, along with seeing the trees being knocked down, and we ran to see what was happening. By the time we arrived, we found you unconscious and Zorua with you. You've been unconscious for two weeks." Joshua explained, shocking Naruto at how long it's been.
"We also found the Pokéball containing Rico's Tyranitar, but Rico wasn't anywhere in sight. Do you know what happened to him, Naruto?" Questioned Birch, with Naruto nodding and motioning to Zorua.
"I'm guessing Zorua must have caught Tyranitar in some illusions, because it just suddenly started freaking out and firing off attacks, with Rico being hit by a Hyper Beam. I…don't think there's anything left of him. Rico was also the reason Zorua died in the first place." Naruto replied, shocking the two before Birch sighed.
"I can't say I really approve of such a thing happening, but from what Officer Jenny told us about what Rico's done before, I also can't say he didn't have it coming. I also made sure that Tyranitar was sent off to a rehabilitation facility for Pokémon, they'll make sure it gets help before it can be released into the wild again." Birch said, with Naruto nodding at this, since while he didn't like Tyranitar for helping Rico, he knew it wasn't the Pokémon's fault for having an evil Trainer.
"Well with Rico gone, that means Zorua's safe. Did you find someone that'd help get it somewhere safe?" Naruto asked, only for the Pokémon Professor to smile.
"Actually, I don't think Zorua would want to leave. In fact, it hasn't left your side at all since we brought you back here." Revealed Birch, making Naruto look at Zorua in surprise that it stayed by his side the entire time.
"Zorua?" Naruto said, with Zorua looking up at him and smiled.
"Zorua!" Zorua raised its foot up at Naruto, with the Uzumaki smiling at this.
"Does…that mean you'd want to come with me?" Questioned Naruto, the Pokémon nodding in response, now seeing the whiskered blonde genuinely wanted to help it, even risking his life for it.
"I figured as much. Which is why I went ahead and uploaded all the information I have on Hisuian Zorua and Hisuian Zoroark, for when it evolves, into your new Pokédex." Birch said, pulling out a Pokédex and handing it to Naruto, much to his amazement before he scanned Zorua.
"Hisuian Zorua, the Spiteful Fox Pokémon. A once-departed soul, returned to life in Hisui. Derives power from resentment, which rises as energy atop its head and takes on the forms of foes. In this way, Zorua vents lingering malice."
Hisuian Zorua:
Gender: Male
Ability: Illusion
Moves: Swift, Shadow Sneak, Bitter Malice, Snarl
Egg Moves (Locked): Extrasensory, Detect
"You've got some good moves already, Zorua. I'm lucky to have such an amazing Starter." Naruto said, smiling at Zorua, with the Spiteful Fox Pokémon returning the smile.
*Timeskip-Three Days*
Three days had passed since Naruto got his Pokédex and Zorua became his Starter Pokémon, with Professor Birch having given him a Pokéball to catch Zorua with. Though Naruto couldn't immediately leave due to him still needing to recover from fighting Rico and Tyranitar. Which did give him more time to better bond with Zorua now that he trusted him.
Now the Uzumaki was fully recovered and ready to set out on his Journey.
"Where's Professor Birch?" Naruto asked as he came out of his room after packing up his stuff, with Zorua sitting on his shoulder, only seeing Joshua in the lab.
"He went out earlier to get some last minute studying in on a pack of Poochyena that were spotted nearby. Though he should be back pretty soon. I believe he was also going to be meeting a new Trainer that's arriving today, the daughter of an old friend of his." Replied Joshua, before they both looked towards the entrance as the door opened, showing a sheepish looking Birch and girl the same age as Naruto.
With the girl not looking the least bit happy, which was understandable, given she was completely soaked.
"Uh…do we wanna know what happened?" Naruto asked, unsure of what to think of the sight or what could have happened, with Birch laughing sheepishly.
"Ehehehe, I kind of disturbed the Poochyena while out during my research. Thankfully, May here showed up and used one of the Starters I had with me to help; unfortunately, she ended up using Mudkip." Revealed Birch, knowing that Mudkip could be a bit of a prankster and only really listened to him.
With Joshua chuckling lightly, now understanding what had happened, before he and Birch began talking. While Naruto went over to the now named May, guessing that she was the other new Trainer.
"Um…hi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Naruto Uzumaki." Introduced Naruto while smiling and holding out his hand, along with looking May over.
May is a slim girl of average height. She has long brown hair with a single fringe at the center with three edges secured by a red and white bandanna and blue eyes with long eyelashes. She wears a red shirt with a navy-blue semi-circle on it, a yellow fanny pack, white gloves with navy fingertips, a white mini skirt over dark blue cycle shorts, and black ankle socks along with red shoes with black and yellow stripes.
'She's really pretty.' Naruto thought, blushing lightly at May's appearance.
"Sure, I'm May." May retorted, still upset over being soaked by Mudkip, causing her reply to come out harsher than she intended.
'Though he's at least pretty hot, in a wild or bad boy kind of way.' May mentally added while looking Naruto over.
Seeing his spiky blonde hair, whisker marks, and dark clothing made him look really good.
"Sorry, I'm just kind of in a bad mood from being soaked by that Mudkip. It's nice to meet you, Naruto." Said May as she shook Naruto's hand, after taking a few moments to relax and calm down.
"It's fine, I'd be upset too. And it's nice to meet a new Trainer." Naruto replied, making May smile lightly before she noticed Zorua sitting on his shoulder.
"Wow, who's this cute little guy?" May asked looking at the cute Pokémon.
"This is Zorua, he's a Pokémon I came across on my way here and after spending some together, along with me helping it out, he decided to join me and became my Starter." Said Naruto, with Zorua waving its wisp of fur at the brunette, making her smile at the gesture.
"That's really cool. Though…what type is it?" May asked, unable to guess what type Zorua was, guessing he was an Ice-type given its fur.
"Zorua's actually a Normal/Ghost-type Pokémon." Naruto said, shocking May at hearing this, given she's never heard about a dual Normal/Ghost-type Pokémon before.
"That's…really unexpected." Stated May, having heard from her brother on how those types were completely ineffective against each other, so it didn't seem possible for them to go together.
"Yeah, it was a surprise for me too, when I learned it. But definitely makes for a nice surprise against opponents." Naruto replied while petting Zorua, with the brunette nodding in agreement.
"So, you want to become a Pokémon Trainer too?" Naruto asked while looking at May curiously, with the girl gaining a sheepish expression.
"Uh, not really actually. I don't really like Pokémon, no offense. I'm mostly just becoming a Trainer so I can travel and see new places, along with meeting new people, trying new foods." Replied May, knowing it seemed silly to become a Trainer and not want to battle or actually catch Pokémon, even more so since her father's a Gym Leader.
"There's nothing wrong with that. I can kind of relate, while I do want to battle and catch Pokémon, as well as plan to take on the Pokémon Gyms and Pokémon League, I don't really have a goal besides wanting to travel." Naruto replied, making May smile again upon seeing that he didn't think her choice was silly.
"May, why don't you go get dried off and then we can get you your Starter." Said Birch, turning to the two kids, with the brunette nodding in response before heading to a bathroom to get dried off.
*Later*
'Aaahh, much better.' May thought as she exited the bathroom, relieved to be dried off from all the water.
Before going over to Professor Birch and Naruto, the latter wanting to see the Starters since he never really got the chance to, due to focusing on helping Zorua. So he was curious to see them and which one May would choose.
"Alright May, here are the Starters you can choose from. The Grass-type Treecko, the Water-type Mudkip, and the Fire-type Torchic." Birch said as he released all three of the Starter Pokémon.
Treecko is a small, green, bipedal reptilian Pokémon. It has yellow eyes with long, narrow pupils. Treecko's hands and feet each have three digits covered with tiny spikes. Its stomach and throat are red. It also has a line across its stomach resembling a pouch. Treecko has a large, dark green tail with two separate lobes that it uses to sense humidity.
Mudkip is a small, amphibious, quadrupedal Pokémon. It has a blue body with a light-blue underside. Mudkip has a large head with a blue fin on top and a light-blue tail fin. It has black, beady eyes and orange, star-shaped gills on its cheeks.
Torchic is a small, chick Pokémon with stubby, downy, yellow wings. Its body is covered with orange feathers. There is an orange and yellow crest on its head that resembles a flame. Its two thin legs and short beak are a light brownish yellow, and the feet have three toes in front and one in the back.
May looked over the three Starter Pokémon, shivering when she looked at Treecko, feeling the Wood Gecko Pokémon was too creepy for her. Before glaring slightly at Mudkip, still remembering how it soaked her. Before she looked at Torchic and the Fire-type jumped up to May and brushed against her legs, making the girl smile.
"I choose Torchic." May said, picking up the Fire Chick Pokémon.
"Torchic!" Torchic called out, happily at being chosen.
"A good choice. Here's Torchic's Pokéball and your Pokédex." Said Birch, handing May the Pokéball and a Pokédex.
"And for both of you, here are some spare Pokéballs to use to catch some other Pokémon, once you leave." Birch added, handing Naruto and May some Pokéballs to use to catch their future Pokémon.
Both of the new Trainers nodding gratefully, while May took the chance to scan Torchic, with Naruto doing the same.
"Torchic, the Chick Pokémon. This Pokémon breathes fire of over 1,800 degrees F, including fireballs that leave the foe scorched black."
Torchic:
Gender: Female
Ability: Blaze
Moves: Ember, Peck, Growl
Egg Moves (Locked): Night Slash, Feather Dance
"Those are some pretty good moves to start out with." Naruto stated, looking at May's Pokédex and seeing Torchic's stats, with the brunette smiling.
"Yeah, looks like she's a touch girl, aren't you Torchic." Said May, smiling at her Starter.
"Torchic!" Torchic nodded in agreement with her Trainer, before May returned her to her Pokéball, with Naruto doing the same to Zorua.
"That's it then. All that's left is for the both of you to head out and begin your Journeys. Good luck to both of you and I hope you encounter all kinds of amazing Pokémon." Birch said, smiling at the new Trainers, which they returned and nodded before they left the lab.
"So, where are you headed to first, May?" Naruto asked looking at May, who shrugged in response.
"I'm not sure, though I'll probably go to Oldale Town and then to Petalburg City to visit my family, letting them know I'm safe and have my Starter." Replied May, with Naruto nodding in response.
"That's a good start. I'll probably go the same way to explore for a bit, catch some more Pokémon, before I start taking on the different Gyms." Said Naruto, wanting to train and catch some more Pokémon to better prepare for when he faces off against the Gym Leaders.
"That's cool. Though um…if it's alright Naruto, since we're both new Trainers, what do you think about…traveling together?" May asked nervously, not sure if he'd want a traveling companion, but also figured it'd be safer for them to travel together, given they're new Trainers.
"Sure! That actually sounds really great and fun! Besides it'd be better than traveling by ourselves." Naruto replied, smiling at the brunette, making May smile as well.
"Yeah! Then let's get going!" Said May, happy that they'd be traveling together.
With Naruto and May heading towards Route 101, both of them excited to take the first steps of their Pokémon Journey.
So, what did you think, good. Yep we see that this time Naruto is born in the Pokémon World, in the Hoenn Region and Fortree City, which does give him good gymnastics, dexterity, agility, and parkour skills. With things starting out the same as in "Pokémon Legend" with him arriving in Littleroot Tow to get his Starter and Pokédex, only to come across Zorua, but this time it's a Hisuian Zorua, which unfortunately means that Zorua was killed, along with being a lot less trusting of Naruto, and anything still alive really. Leading to Naruto going to Professor Birch for help and learning about Regional Forms, the Hisui Region, and how Hisuian Zorua come into existence (the video he sees is the same video on the Pokémon YouTube channel when Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark are first revealed), much to his horror and sadness at learning Zorua was killed. With Naruto wanting to do what he can to help Zorua and stay until it's taken somewhere it can be safe, leading to him spending time with Zorua to earn its trust, while Zorua remains cautious and suspicious of Naruto. Before we then see Rico attack with his Tyranitar, and is the one responsible for Zorua's death, leading to Naruto taking Zorua and running to keep it safe, with him leading Rico and Tyranitar away from it, using a few dirty tricks against them, only to nearly be killed until Zorua arrives to help fight them, leading to Zorua getting its revenge by tricking Tyranitar into killing Rico, with Naruto taking the chance to return it to its Pokéball. Then we see Naruto waking up after two weeks, learning what had happened and that he's now fully earned Zorua's trust, with Zorua once again becoming his Starter Pokémon, with a few different moves. Finally we see a familiar ending as Naruto prepares to leave on his Journey, until Birch and May arrive, with Naruto and May meeting each other, the latter choosing Torchic as her Starter, and the two setting out together.
Now as for why "Pokémon Legend" was rebooted, it was actually something being considered for a while, as there were just too many plotlines being added with the Omakes being part of the story, not to mention the entire "manslayer" thing which was just completely unnecessary, and that things were just too complicated by including the Elemental Nations in the Pokémon World. So, it was decided to simply reboot the story, taking away the Elemental Nations entirely. And while some things will be the same, this chapter shows that there will also be several changes, some big and some small. I'll also be keeping the original "Pokémon Legend" posted for those that still enjoy it, but it won't be updated.
So, for those that like the story, thanks for your support. For those that don't or at least don't like the direction taken, you're more than welcomed to drop the story. But thanks for giving the story a chance anyway.
Storm out